1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a sheet material transfer device to be used for a vending machine, money changer, pinball lending machine, metal lending machine, and the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, in a vending machine for handling sheet materials such as bills, coupon tickets and the like, a sheet material transfer device for transferring sheet materials inserted from the sheet material insertion port is arranged in the body of the vending machine.
This sheet material transfer device is, for example, a bill transfer device for transferring bills inserted from the bill insertion port.
FIG. 3 is a schematic cross sectional view of the essential portion of a conventional bill transfer device and FIG. 4 is a schematic top view of the essential portion of the conventional bill transfer device of FIG. 3.
This conventional bill transfer device 61 comprises bill transfer means 31 including a pair of bill transfer rollers 32 for transferring bills inserted from a bill insertion port not shown in the drawing along a bill transfer path 30, magnetic heads 35 for discriminating the truth of bills transferred by the bill transfer means 31, and grounding means 41 for grounding static electricity generated in the bill transfer rollers 32 by friction with transferring bills.
Among them, the pair of bill transfer rollers 32 constituting the bill transfer means 31 are rollers arranged in the bill transfer path 30 in the neighborhood of a printed circuit board 43 so as to freely move vertically and are made of synthetic resin.
Each of the bill transfer rollers 32 is supported via a shaft 33 made of an electrically conductive material so as to freely rotate and always pressed toward the bill transfer path 30 by the pressing force of coil springs 42, which will be described later, via the shaft 33.
A pair of guide plates 51 arranged between the bill transfer rollers 32 restrict the motion of the bill transfer rollers 32 in the vertical direction only.
The magnetic heads 35 are arranged in the opposite locations of each of the bill transfer rollers 32 across the bill transfer path 30.
The grounding means 41 comprises the pair of coil springs 42 made of an electrically conductive material, a pair of electrically conductive plate members and 45, and a pair of screws 46.
Among them, each of the coil springs 42 has one end 42a in contact with the shaft 33 and another end 42b in contact with an lower face 44a of the plate member 44 or an lower face 45a of the plate member 45.
The plate members 44 and 45 are positioned in holes 43b formed in the printed circuit board 43 and fixed to upper chutes 52 by the screws 46.
The plate members 44 and 45 are in contact with the other ends 42b of the coil springs 42 on the lower faces 44a and 45a thereof. The plate member 45 is made of an electrically conductive material and supports a lead terminal 56 for grounding outside the bill transfer device 61.
On the printed circuit board 43, circuit patterns 47 (FIG. 4) for controlling the whole processing of bills including bill transfer are formed. The printed circuit board 43 is fixed to the upper chutes 52 by a pair of screws 48. Numeral 55 shown in FIG. 3 indicates a lower chute.
The bill transfer device 61 transfers bills inserted from a bill insertion port not shown in the drawing along the bill transfer path 30 by the bill transfer means 31 and also drives the magnetic heads 35 when the bills pass between the magnetic heads 35 and the bill transfer rollers 32 and thus discriminates the truth of the bills. When the bills are discriminated as true bills by the magnetic heads 35, the bill transfer device 61 further transfers the bills to the downstream of the bill transfer path 30 by the bill transfer means 31 and stores them in a stacker not shown in the drawing. When the bills are discriminated as false bills, the bill transfer device 61 reversely drives the bill transfer means 31 and returns the bills from the bill insertion port.
To assemble the bill transfer device 61, the pair of coil springs 42 constituting the grounding means 41 is arranged so that the one ends 42a thereof come in contact with the shaft 33 supporting the bill transfer rollers 32. Thereafter, the plate members 44 and 45 are positioned so that the lower faces 44a and 45a thereof come in contact with the other ends 42b of the coil springs 42 and also fixed to the upper chutes 52 by the screws 46. Next, the printed circuit board 43 is positioned so that the plate members 44 and 45 are arranged in the holes 43b thereof. The plate members 44 and 45 are fixed to the upper chutes 52 by the screws 48.
In the bill transfer device 61, since the bill transfer rollers 32 are made of synthetic resin, static electricity is generated in the bill transfer rollers 32 by friction with transferring bills, and therefore, it is so designed that the static electricity is discharged via the shaft 33, the coil springs 42 and the plate member 45. Therefore, a risk of static electricity staying in the bill transfer rollers 32 is prevented and hence a risk that the operation of the printed circuit board 43 may be adversely affected by staying of the static electricity, that is, malfunctions of the bill processing may be caused is prevented.
Meanwhile, the aforementioned bill transfer device 61 has a structure that the coil springs 42 constituting the grounding means 41 are fixed to the upper chute 52 via the plate member 44 or 45 and the screws 46 at the one ends 42a thereof, and further, the printed circuit board 43 is fixed to the upper chute 52 by the screws 48. As a result, a problem arises that there are many components required and the manufacturing process is complicated.
This problem also arises in a sheet material transfer device for transferring sheet materials other than bills.
An object of the present invention is to provide a sheet material transfer device capable of preventing the stay of static electricity in the sheet transfer rollers in the neighborhood of a printed circuit board and hence preventing malfunctions of the sheet material process of the printed circuit board.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a sheet material transfer device having a relatively small number of components and whose manufacturing process is simple.
To accomplish the above objects, the present invention provides a sheet material transfer device comprising at least sheet material transfer rollers vertically movable and arranged in a sheet material transfer path in neighborhood of a printed circuit board and supported so as to freely rotate by means of an electrically conductive shaft and a grounding means for grounding static electricity generated in said sheet material transfer rollers, wherein the grounding means includes a circuit pattern for grounding formed on the printed circuit board; and electrically conductive force applying means having one end in contact with the shaft and another end in contact with the circuit pattern for grounding, for always pressing the sheet material transfer rollers toward the sheet material transfer path, and wherein the grounding means discharges static electricity generated in the sheet material transfer rollers via the shaft, the force applying means, and the circuit pattern for grounding.
Other object and effects of the present invention can be easily ascertained by the following detailed description and accompanying drawings.